Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!

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CIAudio

We're now shipping the Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter/DAC.

Info can be found here http://www.ciaudio.com/products/TransientMKII

jtwrace

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Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #1 on: 20 Aug 2012, 02:37 pm »
Will you have any demo units available?

CIAudio

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #2 on: 20 Aug 2012, 04:23 pm »
Quote
Will you have any demo units available?

Hi Jason,

We offer a 30 Day Trial as with all our products.

We looked at doing a Tour (similar to your DIY NCORE Tour) but decided on our existing method as it has worked well for us. Customers get the item faster, have longer to evaluate it, and it doesn't cause as many tracking/bookkeeping issues.

JLM

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Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #3 on: 20 Aug 2012, 05:17 pm »
Guess it will take a customer willing to give up their new toy to get a tour going.   :roll:

jtwrace

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Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #4 on: 20 Aug 2012, 05:32 pm »
Hi Jason,

We offer a 30 Day Trial as with all our products.

We looked at doing a Tour (similar to your DIY NCORE Tour) but decided on our existing method as it has worked well for us. Customers get the item faster, have longer to evaluate it, and it doesn't cause as many tracking/bookkeeping issues.
OK.  That's too bad IMO.  Some people are willing to wait so they don't have to feel under pressure while their money is on hold.  Of course there are benefits to you but I do think the tour is a great idea. 

It's pretty easy actually.  I've got it down to a quick and easy process now.   :wink:

boisty

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #5 on: 20 Aug 2012, 05:58 pm »
When used strictly as a converter is the volume control  and DAC function completely bypassed?  Thanks

CIAudio

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #6 on: 20 Aug 2012, 06:25 pm »
Quote
When used strictly as a converter is the volume control  and DAC function completely bypassed?  Thanks

Yes, the volume control is a function of the DAC IC. The digital outputs are unaffected by the DAC/volume control circuitry, and have their own individual driver/buffer circuits.

srb

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #7 on: 20 Aug 2012, 07:08 pm »
How does the internal Wolfson DAC compare to the standalone PCM1794-based VDA-2?
 
Steve

kwl

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #8 on: 20 Aug 2012, 08:34 pm »
I am assuming the volume control is digital??? 32-bit???  I am assuming that the Transient could be used as a headamp/dac; I have some custom in-ear monitors (UERM) that are very sensitive, so how volume control is implemented is very important.

Thanks!

CIAudio

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #9 on: 20 Aug 2012, 09:32 pm »
Quote
I am assuming the volume control is digital??? 32-bit???  I am assuming that the Transient could be used as a headamp/dac; I have some custom in-ear monitors (UERM) that are very sensitive, so how volume control is implemented is very important.

The volume control is digital (24 bit).
I don't recommend using any DAC to drive headphones directly, as most DAC's have an output impedance of >100 ohms. It's best to use a dedicated headphone amp designed for this purpose (like our VHP-2).

CIAudio

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #10 on: 20 Aug 2012, 09:47 pm »
Quote
How does the internal Wolfson DAC compare to the standalone PCM1794-based VDA-2?

They sound very similar but completely different designs.

VDA-2 uses a PCM1794 differential current output DAC, fed to a discrete analog stage, powered by a higher voltage external supply.

The Transient design requires a DAC IC that can produce a 2V analog output from 5V supplied by the USB. There are a small number of IC's that can do this.
We built prototypes using the Wolfson, ESS, and TI parts, and found the Wolfson to be the most musical. It also had the benefit of a built-in digital volume control, which we felt was a big benefit for a portable device.
Being that these parts use a charge pump to generate the negative rail, and have the output stage built-in, they take only a handful of surrounding parts. We optimized the design by keeping the pcb layout compact and using very high grade parts that were chosen through many listening tests.

The other advantage to the Transient is that it is asynchronous, meaning the data is fed into the DAC IC by a precision clock within the DAC(< 1 psec master clock jitter). The VDA-2 accepts s/pdif signals (via coax or toslink) using the clock of the source, which is much more prone to jitter.

jtwrace

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Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #11 on: 20 Aug 2012, 11:27 pm »
Do you have any measurements from an AP or similar equipment? 

CIAudio

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #12 on: 20 Aug 2012, 11:38 pm »
I'll try to get some measurements posted in a week or two. It takes a variety of equipment to do the tests as our Audio Precision analyzers have a 96k max.
The equipment is in heavy use right now for production testing of various products.

jtwrace

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Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #13 on: 20 Aug 2012, 11:48 pm »
I'll try to get some measurements posted in a week or two.
Awesome!   :thumb:

VERY happy to hear that you own one.  It's amazing to me that many vendors who claim "it sounds great" don't ever actually measure anything.   :duh:  Measurements may not tell the whole story but one needs to know what it's actually doing when making changes through many Iterations.

CIAudio

Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #14 on: 21 Aug 2012, 01:09 am »
We have two AP's :-), but have to use a computer to generate the high resolution test signals.

mjalazard

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Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #15 on: 21 Aug 2012, 04:54 am »
My Transient II and upgraded power supply came in last Friday.  I can't wait to install it. I also plan to use it in our NFS Audio room at the 2013 THE Show next January in Las Vegas!
Mike

jtwrace

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Re: Transient MKII Asynchronous USB Converter Now Shipping!
« Reply #16 on: 26 Aug 2012, 08:08 pm »
My Transient II and upgraded power supply came in last Friday.  I can't wait to install it. I also plan to use it in our NFS Audio room at the 2013 THE Show next January in Las Vegas!
Mike
What do you think about it?  What did you own before it?